Professional Documents
Culture Documents
OF THE MONTH
DILEMMAS IN DAY-TO-DAY CARE
>> BY JOSHUA NACKENSON, NREMT-P
& TIMOTHY DACKOW, RN, BS, CCEMTP
AN UNLIKELY CAUSE
What led to this drug user’s shortness of breath?
A
t 3 a.m. you’re dispatched to a
trailer park for a 26-year-old male
with difficulty breathing. Once on
scene, the patient’s girlfriend directs you
inside. The living conditions are poor, with
old trash lining the hallways and drug par-
aphernalia in the kitchen. The patient is
in the tripod position and obviously short
of breath with significant accessory mus-
cle use. Your partner immediately assesses
the patient’s pulse oximetry and starts the
patient on high-flow oxygen via a non-
rebreather mask (NRB) as you ascertain a
health history from the patient’s girlfriend.
She states the patient has been having
worsening dyspnea over the past two hours,
but no other symptoms and no recent illness,
fever or cough. You learn the patient has an
allergy to naloxone and a history of IV drug
abuse. The girlfriend says the patient was in
a motor vehicle crash (MVC) the day prior,
but he left the hospital against medical
advice, before any scans were done.
Your partner reports the patient’s ini- In complicated patients who may have both medical and traumatic issues, a thorough physical examina-
tial vital signs: respiratory rate 34 with rales tion can help narrow the list of possible causes. Photo courtesy Edmonton EMS
bilaterally up to mid-lung, heart rate 144
bpm, blood pressure 102/68, SpO2 on room to congestive heart failure. You make contact HIV, infective endocarditis or lung abscess.
air 86%. With a 12-lead ECG he has sinus with medical control as your partner starts IV Of the possible traumatic causes, pulmonary
tachycardia and nasal end-tidal carbon diox- access and sets up the stair chair. After dis- contusions can produce localized regions of
ide (EtCO2) level of 26. cussing the case with medical control, they edema and hemorrhage which would likely
You assist your partner in completing a authorize the use of sublingual nitroglycerin manifest as wheezing or rales.
focused physical exam and note intercostal every five minutes and continuous positive Pulmonary contusions are the most com-
retractions with equal expansion of the chest. airway pressure (CPAP) at 10 cmH2O. mon complication of blunt chest trauma,
There’s a yellow bruise on the anterior chest affecting at least one-third of all patients sus-
to the left of the sternum about 3 inches CLINICAL ANALYSIS taining major chest injuries. Pulmonary con-
in diameter. This is a challenging case, with a long list of tusions are most commonly scene secondary
Although you normally don’t assess heart potential causes. The patient is a previously to MVCs.1 Myocardial contusions can range
sounds in all your patients, you decide to healthy IV drug abuser who presents with from minor bruises to complete involvement
auscultate the heart on this one. The patient an acute onset of shortness of breath within of the myocardial tissue resulting in signs
has an S3 gallop and a murmur best heard at 24 hours after an MVC. Following trauma, and symptoms such as chest pain, arrhyth-
the apex that appears to start right after S1 there’s a possibility of pulmonary contusion, mia, cardiac tamponade and even myocardial
and ends just prior to S2. On 100% oxygen myocardial contusion or even acute regur- rupture. Relevant to our case, signs of pul-
via NRB, the patient’s pulse oximetry only gitation of a heart valve from a ruptured monary edema aren’t frequently associated
improves to 90%. chordae tendinae. Additionally, in a case like with myocardial contusion. Acute regurgita-
Both you and your partner agree the this, it’s prudent to consider coronary artery tion of a heart valve is a very rare complica-
patient needs further intervention, but your spasm secondary to drug use. Because the tion of blunt chest trauma, although patients
local protocols only allow for the treatment of patient has a history of IV drug use, he’s can present with delayed onset of shortness
acute pulmonary edema when it’s secondary likely to be at risk for conditions such as of breath and associated heart failure.
22 J�MS AUGUST 2014 WWW.JEMS.COM
It’s unlikely the patient is suffering from clear, but it’s suggested that injury to the CONCLUSION
an acute infectious process caused by the papillary muscle causes endocardial ischemia, Traumatic injuries don’t always manifest
immunosuppression-associated HIV infec- which is a result of redistributed blood flow themselves immediately post-injury. A
tion because he was previously healthy. due to local edema, myocardial fiber rupture thorough history and physical examina-
Additionally, if the patient were suffer- and hematomas. The most vulnerable time tion (including heart sounds) can help nar-
ing from pneumonia or another infection, for injury occurs during maximal inspiration row the list of possible causes for a patient’s
we’d expect to see other symptoms such and during isovolumetric contraction (the signs and symptoms, especially in compli-
as fever or cough. Infective endocardi- point where all heart valves are closed).5 cated patients that may have both medical
tis (IE) is an infection of the endocardial Because the mitral valve is no longer able and traumatic issues. When considering the
(innermost) layer of the heart tissue that to stay closed against the pressure of the left etiology of a patient’s condition, it’s impera-
frequently affects the valves. Numerous bac- ventricle, the valve opens and prolapses into tive to be focused, yet maintain a wide scope
teria or fungi can cause the disease and it can the left atrium. Because the left atrium isn’t of possible causes. JEMS
occur in anyone with exposure to one of the designed to handle high volumes of blood,
disease-causing organisms, but it’s frequently the increased volumes and pressure gets REFERENCES
seen in patients with prosthetic heart valves transmitted to the pulmonary circulation, 1. Chopra PS, Kroncke GM, Berkoff HA, et al. Pulmonary
and IV drug abusers. The most common which results in pulmonary edema, much contusion a problem in blunt chest trauma. Wis Med J.
symptoms of IE are fever, fatigue, appetite like in left-sided heart failure. It’s worth not- 1977;76(1):S1–S3.
loss and dyspnea. On physical exam, signs ing that in rare circumstances of acute MR, 2. Sucu M, Davutoğlu V, Özer O, et al. Epidemiological, clinical
range from fever and skin lesions to new there can be localized pulmonary edema in and microbiological profile of infective endocarditis in a ter-
onset heart murmur.2 The mitral valve is the the right upper lobe because the regurgitant tiary hospital in the Southeast Anatolia region. Turk Kardiyol
most commonly affected valve in non-IV blood flow can be directed at the right upper Dern Ars. 2010;38(2):107–111.
drug abusers, but the tricuspid valve is most pulmonary vein that returns blood from the 3. Sousa C, Botelho C, Rodrigues D, et al. Infective endocarditis
commonly affected in IV drug abusers.3 right upper lobe.6 in intravenous drug abusers: An update. Eur J Clin Microbiol
Acute MR presents with a rapid onset of Infect Dis. 2012;31(11):2905–2910.
BACK TO THE PATIENT dyspnea that’s often accompanied by hypo- 4. Kumagai H, Hamanaka Y, Hirai S, et al. Mitral valve plasty
Upon arrival in the ED, the patient’s respira- tension. Additionally, auscultation of the for mitral regurgitation after blunt chest trauma. Ann Thorac
tory rate has decreased to 22, heart rate has heart creates a new holosystolic (between S1 Cardiovasc Surg. 2001;7(3):175–179.
decreased to 114, SpO2 has improved to 98% and S2) murmur best heard at the apex and 5. Farmery A, Chambers P, Banning A. Delayed rupture of the
and EtCO2 increased to 33 mmHg. The frequently an S3 heart sound. In the setting mitral valve complicating blunt chest trauma. J Accid Emerg
ED staff was awaiting your arrival based on of trauma, symptoms can develop immedi- Med. 1998;15(6):422–423.
your notification via radio, and the doctor is ately after the incident, but more commonly 6. Murakami S, Suwa M, Morita H, et al. Localized pulmonary
pleased with your assessment and treatment are delayed by at least 12 hours and may edema after blunt chest trauma. Circulation. 2007;115(8):
of the patient. develop days after the traumatic event.5,7,8 206–207.
In the ED, the staff perform a focused 7. Mazzucco A, Rizzoli G, Faggian G, et al. Acute mitral
assessment with sonography in trauma ultra- IN THE FIELD regurgitation after blunt chest trauma. Arch Intern Med.
sound exam, which is negative; a chest X-ray, Because the diagnosis of acute MR must 1983;143(12):2326–2329.
which shows bilateral pulmonary edema; and be confirmed through echocardiography, in 8. Shammas NW, Kaul S, Stuhlmuller JE, et al. Traumatic
a CT scan of the chest and abdomen, which the field, an astute provider would need a mitral insufficiency complicating blunt chest trauma
reveals minor bleeding around the spleen but high index of suspicion for this condition. treated medically: A case report and review. Crit Care Med.
no significant intraperitoneal hemorrhage. A Treatment will be based upon the patient’s 1992;20(7):1064–1068.
transthoracic echocardiogram reveals rupture unique presentation, but will entail standard
of the anterior papillary muscle and resultant monitoring, CPAP for cases of pulmonary Joshua Nackenson, NREMT-P, is a medical student at
acute mitral regurgitation (MR). edema not associated with hypotension, and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine pur-
vasopressor support for signs of cardiogenic suing a career in emergency medicine. He’s still an
ACUTE TRAUMATIC MR shock. Intubation and mechanical ventila- active paramedic in New York City and Long Island,
Acute MR is a rare complication of blunt tion should be considered for patients with N.Y., working for multiple agencies in that area. Joshua
chest trauma, with less than 50 case reports an altered mental status and signs of cardio- is also a volunteer firefighter/paramedic with the Dix
as of 2001.4 In the setting of blunt chest genic shock with respiratory failure. Hills Volunteer Fire Department. He can be contacted at
trauma, MR occurs due to a rupture in a pap- If you have a high index of suspicion for joshua.nackenson@gmail.com.
illary muscle. Papillary muscles are located traumatic MR, consider consultation with Timothy Dackow, RN, BS, CCEMTP, is a trauma injury
within the ventricular wall and attach to the medical control as the treatment must take prevention and EMS outreach coordinator at Southside
atrioventricular (AV) valves (tricuspid and into account the possibility of other inju- Hospital (N.Y.) within the North Shore Long Island Jew-
mitral) via the tendons and function to pre- ries. Because the definitive treatment is ish Health System. He has 22 years of experience in criti-
vent the prolapse of the AV valves into the surgical repair, consider transport to a facil- cal care and EMS and has a bachelor of science in health
atrium during ventricular systole. The exact ity with cardiothoracic surgical capabilities science/EMS from George Washington University (D.C.).
mechanism of papillary muscle rupture isn’t if possible. He can be contacted at tdackow@nshs.edu.
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